The best way to put it is sensory overload. The opportunity to drive a Lamborghini is always fabulous, but to do it in Aspen on a snow covered race track together with coaching from the professional drivers from Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse Race team is a unique opportunity. Particularly as just the prior week Lamborghini were coming from a 1-2 finish at the Daytona 24hrs in the GTD class.
So it is here I found myself on a spectacular Saturday in February in Colorado. Not a cloud in the sky, espresso in hand surveying a multi-colored array of purring Lamborghinis.
As with everything Lamborghini, they bring the best of Italian Hospitality. We convened in the St. Regis in Aspen and the prior evening headed out to a wonderful Italian dinner to get to know our fellow drivers who had come in from across the country. One of the most fun things about these events is the different Lamborghini owners that you meet with their diverse backgrounds One couple I met from Philadelphia had just bought hers-and-hers matching Urus’s. It was also fun to spend some time with Corey Lewis, who was the winning Lamborghini driver at Daytona.
On the Saturday morning we headed over to the race track for the drivers briefing led by Chris Ward who heads the Squadra Corse program for North America and runs the Super Trofeo and GT3 teams. It was then on to the track.
My first sessions in the morning were with the Urus, where we did a series of laps on an inside track that was more like a rallycross track than a race track. The Urus is incredibly versatile with 640hp on tap and of course four wheel drive, we did a series of laps in the different modes between Strada and Corse. With 600lb of torque in tap, the Urus is incredibly agile and with the studded tires it is unbelievably grippy in the snow. In the Strada mode with all the electronic nannies, it was simply impossible to get the Urus out of any sense of control even rapidly approaching corners the active torque vectoring system would apply the power at each corner exactly when it was needed. Under the professional coaching of the Squadra Corse drivers, switching into Corse mode on the main outside track took everything to another level and pace, it was incredible to be able to drift the Urus through the corners and power out with all four wheels pulling. Even at higher speeds on the snow and ice the Urus remained sure-footed and instilled a tremendous amount of confidence.
Switching to the Huracan Evo in the afternoon was an entirely different experience. The Huracan wieghs almost 1,500 less and also at 640hp has a much higher power to weight ratio and of course the driving position is so much lower. The great thing about driving on snow and ice is that compared to the asphalt it feels like everything happens in slow motion, even with 80 tungsten studs on each of the Evo’s 20 inch wheels and tires the ample power enables you to easily get the Evo to loosen grip and slide and glide through the corners. The great thing about driving with Lamborghini’s Professional Drivers is that they know the limits of the car and encourage you to get well beyond your comfort zone. The beauty of the four wheel traction is that you are not just controlling the steering with the throttle in the corners, a touch of the brakes brings the back end around for tighter cornering and as the front tires get purchase the Evo comes out of the corners like a slingshot.
At the end of the day we had an opportunity to do a series of laps as passengers in the Urus and the Evo with the Professionals at the wheel. From my 5 years working in Formula One I long since realized that my pride on the racetrack was a fragile thing and watching the Squadra Corse professionals handle the Urus and Evo around the Aspen track was both humbling and awe inspiring at the same time, particularly as you realize what these cars are truly capable of.
In the evening we returned to the St. Regis and sitting by the warm log fire reflected on the day. I love ‘Apres Ski’, but after a day driving Lamborghinis in Aspen in the snow ‘Apres Track’ takes things to an entirely new level.
For more information the Lamborghini Winter Experience click here
*Photos and Video courtesy of Lamborghini, Jamie Price & Scene 7
